IBM 3480 Family
Tape Data Recovery - IBM 3480 Family
IBM 3480 is a magnetic tape data storage format developed by IBM. These tapes are one half inch wide and are enclosed in a 4 inch x 5 inch x 1 inch cartridge. IBM 3480 tapes are known for their transferability. Tapes recorded with one tape drive are readable on another drive, including those from different manufacturers.
Innovations
IBM introduced the first 3480 tape drives in 1984. They were the first tape drive to employ thin-film heads, as well as the first to use chromium dioxide tape. These tape drives were intended for mainframe computers, so they used a bus and tag interface. However, in later models, advanced interfaces such as ESCON and SCSI were used. SCSI implementation made it possible to connect 3480 family tape drives to personal computers, which enabled mainframe-to-PC data exchange.
In 1986, IBM added a hardware-based data compression technology, Improved Data Recording Capability (IDRC) Data Recording Capability (IDRC), to IBM 3480 tape drives. With IDRC, the tape drives could record up to 400 megabytes on a single tape. This format is also known as the 3490 recording format.
IBM introduced 3490E tape drive to 3480 Family in 1991. Featuring 36-track head, this drive was able to record 800 megabytes of data on a single tape. 3490E tape drives were available with bus and tag, ESCON, or SCSI interfaces, and were capable of data transfer speeds up to 20MB per second.
IBM 3480 magnetic tape format has been superseded by IBM 3590 Family of magnetic tape formats with much higher transfer rates and densities. However, IBM 3480 tapes are still in demand – thanks to their speed, reliability, durability and low media cost.
